Bakanas

Kazakhstan
Bakanas, Kazakhstan
Photo: Nikolai Bulykin CC BY-SA 4.0 source

A pocket-sized town on the Ili River in Kazakhstan's Almaty region, Bakanas draws fishermen, hunters, and archaeologists to the ancient settlements of the Ili Delta — including the sites of Aktam and Karamergen. To the north lies the Saryesik-Atyrau desert, the former delta of the Ili, while the town is also home to a branch of the Institute of Botany and Phytointroduction and a botanical garden. The Bakanas canal irrigates nearby rice fields, and the area holds what is described as the world's northernmost forest massif, planted in the 1970s.

  • Population6,965
  • Nearest water5.0 km
  • Nearest mountain38.7 km